ABSTRACT
Hypnosis is an ancient practice that has been described with different names across centuries. Practices resembling hypnosis can be found in texts dating to classical antiquity, but modern hypnosis is traditionally attributed to Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815), who paved the way by describing “animal magnetism” which, after many developments, we know today as hypnosis. Since Mesmer, many names have been added to the history of hypnotism, figures such as James Braid (1795–1860), the first to use the name hypnotism, as well as John Elliotson (1791–1868), James Esdaile (1808–1859; 1846), José Custodio de Faria (1756–1819), Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893), Hippolyte Bernheim (1840–1919) a representative of the school of Nancy, and more recently, Clark L. Hull (1884–1952) and Milton Erickson (1901–1980). Other lesser-known names have also played a major role in hypnosis and contributed to its spread to Germany, Italy, Spain, China, and Japan, among others. The role of stage hypnotists and their influence, particularly in the 19th century, will also be briefly addressed.
